One of my more regular clients trains a lot, and enjoys cycling, running and climbing. He’s never been a specialist at any of them though. On many days I’ve had discussions with him about training for two sports at once. The reality is that it’s very hard to perform well in more than one sport at a time. As an adult I probably won’t ever run as fast as I did in college and high school. In high school I wasn’t climbing 5.12, WI6 and M9 though. Being able to climb well and run well (even be competitive at a local level) is a dream of mine though.

Sage Stefiuk Norton crossing the line first at the Frederick Half Marathon

I thought is was likely impossible, but now I’m not so sure. My sister, Sage Stefiuk Norton, began adding weight training to her running workout regiment recently. As a result she’s gained significant muscle mass as well as strength. Looking a bit like a climber, she thought the extra muscle might hurt her running times, as gaining mass tends to do for many people. On the contrary, she’s running faster than ever. During the last month she’s run a couple of outstanding races, with extra lean muscle mass in tow. In a spur of the moment decision she entered the Gettysburg Marathon, where she was the first female finisher (2:57). During a half marathon the following week in Frederick, MD she won the women’s division there too, in 1:22 (that’s 6:20/mile if you’re wondering).

Good job Sage. You’re an inspiration for many of us, and you keep me hoping that I’ll be able to climb well and run well in the months and years ahead.

Most people that have read past posts know I’m a tech nerd. I geek out on Android phones and tablets, and love to play around with website development. I’m not that good at it yet, but it’s something I do enjoy.

Like most others, I love my smartphone. I have two well-loved Android phones, an old, retired HTC Evo 4G, and a newer Galaxy S3. Until recently I was a member of a Sprint family plan with 5 phones. My bill every month was approximately $55, which is not unreasonable for a plan with unlimited data. With unlimited data I used my phone everywhere. I streamed music in the car, used Google Maps all the time, and checked my email at any time. Despite the convenience, this reliance on my phone was annoying. It became a crutch at times. I didn’t need unlimited data, and I wanted to be less attached to my phone. At the same time I still wanted to have a smartphone. They’re indispensable for business as a climbing guide, and having one device that can email, navigate in the backcountry, make emergency calls and take great photos is pretty awesome.

As someone who’s a tech nerd and a budget conscious climber, Ting caught my attention last year. Ting is a mobile service provider that uses the Sprint network. They’ve worked out an agreement with Sprint, and customers who have Sprint smartphones can transfer their service to Ting.

So what’s so great about Ting you might ask? Ting’s goal is to provide reasonably priced mobile phone plans, offer great customer service and be as transparent as possible at all times. I was immediately curious and also skeptical. Cell phone providers seem slimy. Like cable companies and airlines, cell phone providers feel like they’re running a legal racket.

Choosing your plan is easy

For two months I tracked my minutes and data. After observing my usage for that amount of time I determined I could have a no contract plan with Ting for $23/month plus taxes and fees. I already have a Sprint Android phone, so I would be able to bring that phone with me to Ting, which would save me even more money. Over two years I would be saving approximately $500 and dealing with customer service that was both pleasant and spoke a form of English that I could understand.

Last December I canceled my Sprint service and switched to Ting. For the past six months I’ve been paying $32/month for service. I’ve had to deal with customer service three times over that period and each interaction has been unimaginably easy. In a world where customer service is generally horrible Ting has been a breath of fresh air.

The very easy to use Dashboard.

Over the course of 6 months I’ve been able to determine what’s good and what’s bad about my service with Ting. So, here’s what’s good:

• Transparency – there are no hidden fees, no contracts, and no fine print with Ting. They are clear about their goal and very happy to have new customers.
• Adjustable plans – You choose your minutes, texts and data. If you go over any of them during the month, they’ll bill you at the next level for that month only. There are no contractual obligations and you’ll never be billed for more than you use.
• Customer Service – You will get someone on the phone at Ting after one ring. They speak English you can understand and they will walk you through anything you need help with. Email support is just as good, and most things get resolved in a single day.
• Tethering – Sprint allowed unlimited data, but also stated in the contract that you can’t tether your phone to other devices. Ting, on the other hand, feels that if you are paying for a set amount of data you should use it however you like. I’ve been able to turn my phone into an internet access point for my other devices (Nexus 7 and my laptop) while traveling
• The Dashboard – The user interface with Ting is easy to use. They’ve developed the dashboard for usability, so that you need to contact customer service as little as possible. You see how many minutes, texts and megabytes you’ve used each month. You can also set alerts (to turn off minutes or data if you don’t want to pay extra) that will email or text you when you get near a specified limit. You can even turn off data to particular devices but not the entire account. Amazingly, you can also cancel your account with a single click from the dashboard. Yes, there is a button right in front of your face that allows you to terminate service. How many times have you wanted to cancel your services with a bank, phone company, or cable company and not done so because you don’t want to make an awful, hour long phone call where you get tossed around?

Nothing seems like it’s ever all good. Here’s the bad:

• Data Roaming – Ting does not have roaming agreements with Verizon or US Cellular or any other CDMA provider. You only have a data connection on Sprint’s network. This means the roaming service is not as good in many parts of northern New England. In the southeastern US this doesn’t seem to be a problem because Sprint has a larger presence. This means there is no data connection and you can only send phone calls and texts.
• Phones – You have to buy a smartphone at nearly full price. There are no contracts, and therefore the phone is not subsidized. You’ll have to pay the full cost. For a good smartphone that’s about $450. However, if you are a heavy smartphone user you will likely still save money moving to Ting. If you’re a lightweight user there’s no doubt, you will save money.

One of the things I began doing last year, as I became a homeowner, was looking at the total cost of ownership. How much you’ll spend over the life of a product or service paints a more accurate picture than what you’ll pay from month to month. So, even if you have to pay for a full-priced smartphone you’re still going to save money with Ting. Just do the calculations to see for yourself.

If, after hearing this, you’re interested in Ting, head over to Ting.com and check them out. If you want to sign up, here’s a referral code that will get you $25 credit ($25 credit for me too!) towards a new account: https://z96d2opoc1.ting.com/

Chris Beauchamp works the crux of Loosifer

Two winters ago Lucho Romero tried many of the newer mixed lines in the upper Hell Hole and enjoyed them. All the while though, he stared at the cliff directly across the narrow gorge. This shadier, steeper  loose-looking cliff had more or less been ignored. There is one outstanding established route on it’s left end, and that’s it. This route, Gomorrah, is one of the Catskills’ true ice testpieces. Although short, the face is gently overhanging the entire way. A thin strip of ice, at most 4 inches thick, occasionally forms on this face (I’ve done it twice in 8 years, one time taking a heart-stopping whipper when a tool placement blew near the thicker ice at the top). Sodom & Gomorrah, the direct start to the line, has the kind of climbing where if you blow one tool placement in the 1″ thick ice at the bottom you might be out of luck. Dare I say this short route is WI6-? No one else talks about the grade but that seems right to me. Bob Otten lead it on gear back in the day (badass). Kevin Delaney retrobolted it and Purgatory without permission. This made bolting things, umm, a wee bit awkward for a long time to come. I digress. Suffice to say this route is really hard, and it’s on the least steep part of the cliff.

Lucho swore there were more lines on this overlooked little cliff. The rock looked so soft, loose and scary that I ignored him. Last week though, I started paying attention. He’d tried a route there on toprope several times this season, was convinced it was really good and also felt that it could go for the right individuals. An impossibly hard horizontal roof crux led to overhanging flakes and then an icy corner. During their first effort earlier this winter, four strong climbers all fell off at the roof crux repeatedly before giving up. Lack of a good directional above meant they would take terrifying falls on toprope when they let go. During another session Lucho worked out a less direct start, which kept the climbing in the M8 range.

Pete on the overhanging wall

Last Tuesday I met Chris Beauchamp and Pete Guyre at Platte Clove. We immediately headed for Lucho’s line. The night before he’d given us the go-ahead to try his project. Chris lowered down and found pieces of gear that worked as directionals. He found a good piece to protect the crux swing too, which would make working the crux easier. In conjunction with a back belay from the ground we were able to work the crux.

We set to work trying the line. After a couple of efforts the direct, roof crux felt hard but doable. The remainder of the climb, up hollow sounding sharp-edged flakes was more about pump management than hard cruxes.

The crux is characterized by small holds and precise footwork

By this point it was mid-afternoon. We were tired, and the ice at the top was cooking in full 40-degree sun. All of us agreed to return in the morning, when the ice was frozen in place, to give this wild, loose-feeling line a redpoint effort.

The following morning, with tender biceps and sore hamstrings all around, we hiked down the hill. After a not-so-warm warmup on Chris’ new mixed moderate The Road of Good Intention, M6-, we began our effort in earnest.

Keeping our order from the previous day, I set off first. I climbed quickly through the crux, avoiding unnecessary moves. As I was reaching for the only rest stance on the route one of my tools skated off a sloped hold overhead. The other one held; I was still on. I caught my breath at the rest and charged into the overhanging barehanded juggy flakes. As I reached the icy corner my legs were trembling. I scummed my left hip in the corner and breathed a sigh of relief. A few minutes later I clipped the anchors, elated about not having to put forth that same effort again.

By the end of the day, after several impressive attempts, Pete styled the route to the ice. His last redpoint attempt came to a heartbreaking end as the rotten ice broke beneath both of his tools simultaneously.

Pete Guyre using body tension to stay in place

On Sunday, both Chris and Pete also redpointed the line. Despite looking loose, the route has fantastic climbing. The M9-(?) crux is followed by overhanging rock climbing on big flakes and finishes with an M7/8 crux to gain the icy corner above. It’s a sprint to the finish with some very hard moves on small holds at the start. We’ve decided to stick with the “Hell” theme and want to call this one Loosifer. This route is probably the hardest mixed line in the Catskills right now (where Hydropower is sustained, this route has a punchy, hard crux), and with such fun climbing it might be my favorite line in the Hell Hole.

Thanks to Chris Beauchamp for the images. He shot most of them with my camera, as it was the only day I’ve ever seen him without his camera gear.

[View with PicLens]

I spent the last two days in the Devil’s Kitchen (the Chasm!?). We had fun despite the fact that we were soaked by rain and wet snow. It was neat watching Dustin Portzline, a younger Mountain Skills climbing guide and New Paltz local step out of his comfort zone a little. He’s realized this season that he’s capable of leading harder routes. This week alone he led Dan and The Devil, Mephisto Waltz and the Advocate. I fully expect to see him cranking out really hard lines throughout the northeast a few seasons from now. Additionally, I managed to send Hydropower, a route I tried a couple of times over the last two seasons (established by Matt McCormick in 2010). Thanks to Chris Beauchamp and Dustin for belaying me while I worked out the continuously hard moves on small (1-2 tooth) insecure edges and with awkward feet.

Dustin Portzline steppin’ out on “The Advocate”

Another highlight of the two days was my first visit to Circle W General Store in Palenville. It’s a new favorite and a great place to meet partners if you’re headed to the Catskills. They have good coffee, great sandwiches on outstanding bread, and incredible cookies. It’s the kind of place that Palenville has been lacking for a while and is definitely worth checking out if you haven’t already.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed for a few more days of winter out there!

Alden Pellett climbing on the Cholesterol Wall, Gros Morne National Park

Three minutes later the ice collapsed beneath my feet. Instinctively, I leaned forward to spread my weight out on the ice ahead of me. I crawled out of the hole and glanced back at Alden. He was further from the shore than I was and had a look of alarm on his face. We were 8 miles from the nearest road, there was no one else nearby, and the only person who knew where we were was my partner Dolci, who was 1200 miles away in Massachusetts.

Not too long after, Alden and I threw in the towel for the day. We’d already skied 7 miles and wallowed for a few more through knee and thigh deep snow. Our climbing objective, which remained unseen by us, was still several miles away in another fjord. Despondent and exhausted, we began the long, windy, snowy ski back toward the trailhead and our car. Two and a half hours later we sank into my carseats, elated to get wets boots off our sore feet.

This mini-epic provided just a few of the several lessons Alden Pellett and I learned on our third trip to Newfoundland. We realized we’re really just rookies when it comes to “big” ice climbing in Newfoundland. Nearly all of the big ice routes in Gros Morne National Park are challenging ice climbs in hard to reach locations. Locals know better than visitors when the ponds are frozen, where they don’t freeze and the way to get to all the amazing backcountry spots. Trying to find climbs in zero visibility, during intense snowfall and incredibly gusty winds is a bad idea.

Instead of buying a snowmobile, like Joe Terravecchia and Casey Shaw have done to facilitate access to the backcountry climbs, we’ve decided that we’re going to rely on local’s knowledge of the place and use local drivers to get into the ponds. It’s easy to bury a snowmobile in a drift, or tip it over on the trail. It’s even easier to sink one (and drown yourself) in one of the many ponds you must cross getting to the climbs. Navigation, through tuckamore and with poor visibility is a recipe for disaster.

Despite a few difficulties, our trip was an overwhelming success. We climbed three routes on the C-Wall (Cholesterol Wall) that we’d never done before and enjoyed one of the most beautiful days either of us has ever had as climbers. On this day we climbed a 700′ route called Strato-Chief. 450′ of thin, spray ice led to a spectacular vertical corner system. There was just enough protection during the whole climb for things to feel reasonably safe.

I’m convinced Newfoundland is the best place to ice climb in North America. We’re already planning our next trip to Newfoundland and looking forward to exploring more of the climbing there next year. Thanks to Mammut USA and NEice.com for helping to support this year’s trip. Here are a few images I captured during the trip.

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As an aside – if you use NEice.com regulary, like I do, consider donating money to help maintain the site. Doug Millen, the owner and manager of the site, does an amazing job keeping it current and making sure the content is interesting. Additionally, it’s the best place to find out about current northeast ice conditions.

First, I’m going to share a few of my experiences and some comparisons between Sterling and Mammut, the two rope manufacturers that I’ve used the most. Then, at the end I’ll share a few of my conclusions that might help guide readers when making a decision about rope purchases

Some experiences and a few comparisons

ALL of the ropes that I’ve had in the 9.0mm range have not been durable. This should come as no surprise to anyone at all. However, the complete and utter lack of durability of some of these ropes leaves me wondering whether they should be sold at all. It seems distinctly possible a rope this skinny could sever during a big fall or while sliding over an edge. The Sterling Nano is the least durable rope I’ve ever owned. Don’t get me wrong, Sterling produces some nice ropes, but many of their Fusion series ropes are just too soft. I’ve had two Nano’s so far, and both received coreshots and significant wear during what I would consider normal use. I nearly severed one during a rappel this winter. It was the rope’s first use, and it left me wondering whether I should even bother using the rope again. I had one Mammut Serenity 8.9 mm as well. It has held up slightly better, but it has countless nicks in it’s sheath. The 8.9mm Serenity feels slightly thicker than the 9.2mm Nano. Either way, a rope this skinny isn’t going to hold up well for most people. I’ve also heard (hearsay only) that the purple Nano is actually built differently than their other colors and is more durable. I’m not sure what that means, but it might be worth buying a purple Nano if you decide to pull that trigger.

A Sterling Nano showing significant damage after a single use.

Stepping up in diameter, I’ve used both the Mammut Revelation 9.2 and the Sterling Ion 9.4. Both of these ropes feel far more durable than their skinny brethren. Each of these ropes has lasted nearly a year with light use (whereas a single long day or a single trip will trash the Serenity or Nano). The Revelation was actually one of my favorite ropes, and I used it for nearly an entire winter season while cleaning and working routes in the Hell Hole during the 2010-2011 winter.

Many nicks in the sheath of an 8.9 mm Mammut Serenity

The next step up in diameter durability for most manufacturers is to the 9.5-9.8 millimeter range. I’ve used both the Mammut Infinity 9.5, my favorite rope thus far, and the Sterling Velocity 9.8. While I’ve had good luck in the past with both ropes, This fall I nicked or coreshot two Sterling Velocity ropes rather quickly. One was absolutely my fault, yet I was still surprised by how quickly it happened, The other incident , during the rope’s first use, involved several nicks during normal toprope wear and tear that a rope of this diameter should hold up to. Both were less than three weeks into my ownership of the rope, and with less than a week’s worth of climbing on each.

I’ve only really used one rope over 10mm in diameter – a Sterling Marathon Pro. It’s a burly rope and I’ve had several of them. If used occasionally they’ll last several years before they begin shedding lots of fuzz from the sheath. The Mammut ropes over 10mm always felt a bit too stiff to manage, especially once they begin to freeze.

conclusions

Here are some of the conclusions I’ve drawn about ropes over the past few years.

•  The skinniest single ropes are too skinny for daily use, and probably too skinny for any sort of rock or alpine use. I know there are people that will disagree with this, but when your safety and the success of a big alpine trip rely having a full-length intact rope, sizing up just a bit seems like a wise decision. The weight difference between a 60-meter Sterling Nano and a Sterling Ion is only 240 grams, just slightly more than half a pound, yet the durability of the Ion is much, much greater. In addition, you’ll replace ropes less often meaning you’ll save money in the long run.
• Mammut ropes always feel fatter than Sterling ropes. The Mammut 8.9 feels fatter than the Sterling 9.2. The Mammut 9.2 feels fatter than the Sterling 9.4, and the Mammut 9.5 feels like the Sterling 9.8.
• Mammut ropes generally feel stiffer than the comparable (see my conclusion above) Sterling rope.
• Mammut ropes always feel short. Sterling ropes always seem generously long. In fact, if you’re going to buy a Mammut rope you might consider buying a 70-meter model. Many of the Mammut ropes I’ve had end up being as much as 10 meters short by the end of their usable life. Mammut attributes this to shrinkage, I’m not sure I buy this explanation and will hold off on my own explanations.
• I’ve had really good luck with the Mammut Revelation 9.2, the Mammut Infinity 9.5, the Sterling Ion 9.4 and the Sterling Marathon 10.1.
• The Sterling Nano 9.2 is, in my opinion, utter garbage. Not only is it expensive, it’s the least durable rope I’ve ever owned and I’ll never buy another one.
• I’ve had several Sterling Evolution Velocity 9.8 ropes with varying degrees of success. If you buy one of these ropes you might try to baby it at first, as this rope seems to stiffen after a few weeks of use, and then feels a bit more durable. Initially this is a soft rope that handles nicely but also nicks easily. Kind of a crapshoot if you ask me.
• The Sterling Marathon 10.1 and Mammut Infinty 9.5 are both good choices for every day rock climbing use, but won’t slide easily through an ATC Guide or Reverso in autoblock mode, especially once they’ve been used for a while. Consider using a Kong Gigi as an autoblocking belay device instead.
• Dry treatment is fleeting. I’ve been able to use non-dry ropes for most winter days. If it’s really going to be wet I’ll grab a dry rope. This way, I can preserve the dry-treated rope for really wet days.

I hope this helps you during your next rope purchase.

Last spring I left Alpine Endeavors, a guide service I worked at for the better part of 7 years. It was time for me to go, I’d reached a place where things just weren’t going to change and my unlivable income wasn’t going to increase. Anyone who’s guided for a long time has inevitably learned what I learned – you basically have to work for yourself to make a living as a guide in the northeast. Over the coming months I’ll share more of my experiences in a quantitative way that will help younger guides make the right decision about their work environments. I wish someone had done this for me soon after I began guiding professionally.

I bought a house in August. Along with the help of my partner Dolci (and her motivation – I just want to go climbing) we’ve been working on making this space our own.

This fall I began taking basic programming classes so that I can continue to teach myself about website design and development. The process is a long slow one, and I look forward to each little web project that I get to work on.

Valley Vertical Adventures

My latest project, and the focus of much of my time this fall, was valleyvertical.com. Valleyvertical.com is the domain for my new guide service, Valley Vertical Adventures. The site, while not totally complete yet, is fully operational. It was built using Blogger, which is more powerful and customizable than most people realize. It’s a deliberately simple website that uses a host of Google tools, most of which are integrated into Blogger.

I’m really excited about Valley Vertical Adventures and glad to have two great partners located in the Northampton area involved in the venture. Conor Driscoll, who’s guided for RMI and Alpine Endeavors, and Stuart Remensnyder, who manages the US office of Field Touring Alpine. So, if you’re interested in climbing with us at Valley Vertical, shoot us an email at info@valleyvertical.com or call us – 413-570-3223.

While bigfootmountainguides.com won’t be going away anytime soon, I’ll be posting photos and trip reports from my daily guiding exploits on the Valley Vertical blog page from now on.

Nowadays, as a local climber in North Conway, he has his choice of partners and many of them are North America’s finest alpinists and winter climbers. He solos less and climbs hard routes on a rope with good friends more frequently.

In this blog post, at his blog Far North Climbing, he shares his story about the time in his life when he soloed a lot. I enjoyed his multi-perspective view of soloing immensely. I’m grateful for his partnership and I’m thankful he’s still around to tell this story. Enjoy.